Battery cable terminal



Aug. 25, 1931. J. A. TESTA 1,320,584

BATTERY CABLE TERMINAL Filed Jan. 13, 1950 no each other.

Patented Aug. 25, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE l JOSEPH A. TESTA, or sT. PAUL, mrNNEsoTafAssieNonfTo FREDERICK r. SCHNEIDER, 'GONERD W. PETERSON, AND HENRYG. PETERSON, ALL 0F ST. .VPAUL, MYIN1 \I ESAOTA BATTERY CABLETEEMINAL g lApplication med January 13,1930. V'seran No. v420,555.v l

s i My invention relates to storage battery vcable terminals and particularly to a type of cable terminal adaptable .for use on automobile. batteries or like batteries having .the y usualiixed terminals located diagonally opposite and projecting vertically from the end cells of such batteries. I

rlhe main obj ect of the inventionV is to provide a simple, inexpensive and easily conn nected cable terminal, the use of whichk enables an operator to quickly attach or detach 4the device from a battery terminal regardless of` accumulated corrosion Vusually formmeans involves the, use

forth, reference being had to the. accompanying drawings, in which, f

Fig. 1 is a top view of my improved cable n terminal in a preferred formfand a portion A of acable connected with it.

-l F ig.2 is a cross sectlonal d d members as on line 2-2 in Fig. 1 and Fig.-y 3

, is a modification of Fig. 2.

omitting the cable.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal centralsectionof` 30 the cable terminal with a modification.

. Fig. 6 is a top view of a storage ybattery of common type kand. cable connected thereto with my improved terminal.

Fig. 7 is a` modification of FigQl omitting the cable and Fig. Sis a cross section ofa modifiedl form of clamp line 8 8 in Fig-7. f

'Fig'. 9 is a side elevation of the jaw members of my device only, modified to interlock closing means as on Referring to the drawings by Ircferencefnumerals,.10 designates a 3-ce1l type of storage battery, the top central part of each cell having a filler cap 11 and 12N and 121 are respectively the negative and positive termitail ofthe aw Fig. 4 is a left hand` end view, of Fig. 1

nal posts, said posts beingdesignated 12Vonly inFigs. 2 and 3. f f

The cableterminal comprises a mainmetal cable retaining member 13, the rear part of which is atapered shank 13A and bored cen-` trallyy as y13B to retain the exposed.y metal core" or .wir'efrope 14R- of a cable 14 suitably insulated. The otherend of this Yshank member comprises ase'mi-"circular jaw 13J suitablyserrated interiorly. either as 13J (Figs. A 1, 2,5, 6 and 7) or as 13J- in Fig.3. i v

15 is a secondary ljaw and shank member normally in parallelrelationfto and drawn toward the main shank member 13'by an adjustinent'l bolt 116, said secondary member having. also a ksemi-circular jaw 15Jcorre" sponding to jaw 131 and similarly serrated interiorly. lThe two jawmembers 13J 'and 15J are drawn toward each other to; clamp around abattery terminal 12, the serrations whether horizontal or'-verticalfservingv to frictionally engage theI post. Theclamping vmeansinvolve the boltL 16, its'nut'16Nthe lmain and secondary members of vtheterminal having alined transverse bores for jthebolt 70 intermediate the ends of theterminaland the main'member preferably being countersunk or grooved as at 17 to retain the, head ofthe bolt therein and prevent rotation .of the bDlt. y Rearwardly ofthe bolt memberl is formed with a transversev shoulder13S and member-vlv 15 has a corresponding shoulder 15S ,rearward of. kwhich the lattercomprises arearwardly tapering tongue 15Tl roundedlexteriorly to conform to the tapery rear endl ot i130 vmember-.13. ,Y

.Thelreaiy tapered and bored shank partof member 13 is preferably slitted in,v L-shape, longitudinally and inwardly as 18'and thence circumferentiallyas 18A about90 degrees sof;

that theJl metal therebetween formsy a= tab .or

tongue-which may be bent outwardly as to dotted positions 13T in Figs. l and 4:, .providinga ,lateral opening from bore 13B "through which the metal strandpart-of afcable may bempo imy he jaws clamp about a terminal post as the slipped into the bore 13B as indicated by circle 14R in Fig. 4, and after the cable end has thus been put in place it may be retained rigidly by bending the tab 13T back again and hammering or pinching it inwardly and around the cable.

The. clamp members have adjacent parallel faces 19 forward of their shoulder parts to the jaw members. In removing a clamp from a battery terminal the nut 16N is of course first lapse ed and the jaws should readily be removed rom the post, but in case corrosion,

frost or any other condition causes the clamps to stick to the terminal they are easily sepa-. rated by insertinga screw driver orl otherv fiat or tapered element between the faces 19 and twisting same or wedging the jaw members apart. The jaw faces 19 are of course so positioned that they will never contact when members (Fig. 8).

20 isa Usaped yoke,the base of whichy is bored at 20B for the bolt 16 and the legs of said yoke having angular' faces 20F iiared outwardl Intermediate tliejaws and shank artsof thel clamp the respective jaw mem- "eljs havev corresponding angular faces ISF enga ed frictionally and slidably by the inner aces 2OF of the` yoke. Thus when nut 16N is drawn up it is obvious that the yoke 2O forces the members 13-15 toward each other and. the jaws lBJ-lJ are clamped n a. battery terminal post,

I .have Stated that the interior parts of the Y aws 13.) and J` are preferab y serrated.

aid serrated arts are of' course counter-V PIS, each arclllte and being nearly semicircular, the front ends being preferably spaced apart even when the members are. clamped on post. The said serrated parts may be formed for tapered or straight battery posts,

suchpostsusually beine tapered. The serrations are straight longitudinally of the post to which they are clamped and designated SS in Fig. 2, whereas in F ig. 3` the serrations arecircumferential and designated simply S.

In Fig. 51 the tapered shank end of member 13 is whole and the member 15 terminates at shoulder 15S except that adjacent to face 19' the latter member 15 is provided withv an inte ral, rearward tongue extensionv 15T aipted to be fitted into a corresponding pocket 131D to interlock the two members in addition to the bolt connection between them and to hold the two parts in correct parallel relation to each other.

I have shown and described my cable terminal device in preferred construction, it being obvious that further modications may be embodied without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

In Fig. 9 the jaws 13d-15J are interlocked outwardly of the battery terminal engaging means by simply providing saidl jaws one with a hook extension removably insertible in a slit provided in the extension 26 of the other jaw.

VI claim: f

l. A cable terminal of the class described comprising a pair of elongated metal members each with an arcuate jaw member at one end, said jaws being counterparts, means intermediate the ends for adjusting said members and y-their jaws toward each other, one member formed with a cable receiving shank, transverse shoulder means on both members normally in slidable cont-act and rearward of the clamping means, said members pro vided forward of said shoulder means with spaced parallel faces, and means in said cable shank to facilitate the insertion of a battery cable to be held therein.

2. A rcable terminal of the class described comprising a pair of elongated metal mem- `bers each with an arcuate jaw member at one end, said jaws being counterparts, means intermediate the ends 'for adjusting said members and their jaws toward each other, one member formed with a, cable receiving shank, transverse shoulder means on both members normally in slidablev contact and rearward of the clamping means, said members provided forward of said shoulder means with spaced parallel faces, and means in said cable shank to facilitate the insertion of a battery cable to be held therein, consisting in the provision of a central bore in the sai-d shank, slitting the wallY of said shankpart longitudinally of; said bore, thence transversely part way around the shank to provide a portion of said shank adapted to be bent outwardly or closed inwardly as shown and described.

3'. The structure specilied in claim 1 and interlocking means for said members at their shoulder parts comprising a tongue extension on one member and a receiving socket therefor in the other member.

4. A battery cable terminal comprising an elongated Atwo-part metal member fcrmed withv counterpart jaws at one end, onel jaw on each part, a tapered cable receiving shank formed at the opposite end from said jaws, means intermediate said ends on both parts of the terminal comprising angular-ly directed external faces tapered toward one side of the device, a U-shaped metal clip with corresponding inner angular' faces adapted to frictionally en age said irst described tapered faces,a lt passed through all three said parts and a takeup nut thereon to draw 'the clip forcibly upon the said tapered parts 5 and force the jaw members toward each other. I', Y,

v5. The structure specified in Vclaim 1v 'in which said jaw parts are rformed at their p free ends; one with a hook terminal Vend the 10 other with an extended part with a groove in Whchfjsaid hook is freely insertible.

In testimony whereof I alix-my si ature.

; JOSEPH A. STA.

iss 

